katydid23
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I wonder what is leading them to believe that? Do investigators think he is being trafficked?
ID ID - Michael “Monkey” Vaughan, 5, last seen near home, Fruitland, 27 Jul 2021 #2
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ChatteringBirds
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I hope he is not being trafficked.
My speculation is simply that they are still investigating different possibilities. Just like in the Summer Wells case. They aren't saying they know he's gone, so the family still has hope. This is understandable, and in their shoes, I'd want hope. JMO.
My speculation is simply that they are still investigating different possibilities. Just like in the Summer Wells case. They aren't saying they know he's gone, so the family still has hope. This is understandable, and in their shoes, I'd want hope. JMO.
Unalienable Rights
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Yesterday a link was posted for a KTVB interview with both parents. The following link is for the full 30 min, uncut interview:
MysteriousNoblewoman
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Interesting to se Tyler participating in an interview. He’s been pretty silent while Brandi has been the most prominent advocate for Michael in interviews and pressers. If I could ask a question for the upcoming interview, I would ask if Michael WAS seen by neighbours and others after he left their house and if yes, why haven’t LE confirmed that?
Allabouttrial
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Interview with Michael's parents - Brandy and Tyler.
Reporter - So we just got off the press conference. Can you tell me a little bit about how you're feeling? About how it went and what type of information that they released and how the investigation is going in your perspective?
Tyler - There's a lot of stuff that they're working on, that is new stuff, that made me very hopeful that I'm not going to go into, but we both know that they're working tirelessly, so I always feel good when coming out of there. They work very hard.
Reporter - When you say 'hopeful' - Can you kind of explain what that means to you with these new...I guess new leads, but you know, what they're looking into?
Tyler - We've both tried to stay hopeful throughout the whole thing, but the things they're working on make me hopeful that we'll have answers eventually and he'll come home.
Brandy - He's coming home and they're not gonna give up.
Reporter - So with the update that Huff gave when he said that they're looking in the area again - Do you know kind of...if they're looking at people that you guys know? Or is it really just general? Is there anything you can speak to on that?
Tyler - We don't really know anything other than that there's persons of interest.
Brandy - There's nothing that we can speak of on that matter and there are....they're looking into every lead and persons of interest, so we don't know those and what I can say is that they're doing everything they possibly can to find Michael.
Reporter - So Huff said 'well I mean the family hasn't been cleared but they've been cooperative' - Do you have any comment on that? Some people speculate that 'Oh because the family hasn't been cleared that they're guilty, or they're this' - What do you guys take away from that, because obviously it can be hard to clear somebody just because everything's still outstanding? I kind of wonder what you think about that?
Tyler - I think they're doing everything they can to find Michael, and like you said, it's extremely hard to be 100% on anybody so we're just taking it as it goes, and I'm sure eventually we'll get there.
Reporter - Have you guys been told otherwise? because I know there's been rumours circulating around...just online and even just around the community. Have you guys been told otherwise about being cleared?
Brandy - We are working with LE 100% and I will say that they are a very very big part of our lives continuously and we will continue to work with them 110%, so when everything is cleared or....
Tyler - When they're ready to take that step we'll be grateful, but we know it takes time.
Reporter - Just with information that's been released in the past year - it was pretty consecutive in the first early months, started to slow down a little bit just from police, and now it's been a while. This was the first press conference we've had since November, which I guess kind of contributes to speculation around the community. With the lack of information that's been released from police in the past six months, which has led to this speculation - Do you think LE should release more information just to combat those people that are coming up with these theories?
Tyler - Most of the theories, I think, are completely not grounded in reality for the most part, and I wouldn't want them to release anything that would jeopardise the case. I mean, the person that has Michael could be watching and I mean it's....it's...I wouldn't want them to put anything out that they shouldn't.
Brandy - I believe they've done an amazing job and they continue to do an amazing job and they're not....they know the facts, they know the truth, they have the truth and the things they're working on is very important because Michael is our son and they want him home just as much as we do. So for them to do what they're trying to do in their jobs is highly important and I respect that. Yes, it is frustrating at times but....
Reporter - Back in December you told me that you believe Michael was taken - Do you still feel that same way today? And has there been new developments or anything that's made you feel more strongly about that?
Brandy - Yes sir, wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly, and we're going to find him and whoever decided that they could take Michael, they need, or has information, they need to come forward. It's been almost a year. It has been 351 days.
Reporter - Do you feel strongly one way or the other - If it was a stranger or somebody that knew him at all? Do you feel any which way about that, or do you just not know?
(long pause)
Tyler - Don't know.
Brandy - Don't know. We don't know.
Tyler - We definitely feel that he was taken. I mean there's been...well Tristan's (one of the interviewers) been here from the beginning. There was thousands of people here, like...he's not here, so he must be somewhere else.
Reporter - Tyler can you walk us through just that night? You were home with the kids - Can you just walk us through everything that happened last July?
Tyler - Went back to change Bug, Michael was playing on his switch, she was sleeping so it took a minute for me to rouse her and then I changed her diaper and ordered pizza. Probably took me around 15 minutes maybe, and came back out and went outside to smoke and Monkey wasn't outside so I figured he was inside with his brother, wasn't inside and then I started to freak out and it's all kind of a blur from there. Just running all over the neighbourhood and...(Bug runs up at this point)
Reporter - What time was that?
Tyler - I ordered the pizza at 6.40. I really couldn't tell you any other timestamp, besides that, with a 100% certainty. I don't even know if that's when I entered the order or when I finished the order, or what. The receipt said 6.40.
Reporter - Were you in the house when you ordered or were you outside?
Tyler - No, I was in the back bedroom with Bug.
Reporter - And following...I mean, when you realised that you didn't know where Michael was - What did you do then? Did you knock on any neighbours doors, did you...?
Tyler - I came outside and I looked down the street, and I hopped in the car and called Brandy, and drove to the Splash Pad and then all over the neighbourhood, walking, running, driving, I couldn't tell you where. I didn't leave the neighbourhood but all up and down this, you know, 8th St. complex I was....we were both all over.
Reporter - Some of the people that like to speculate are wondering - Why did you call Brandy, why didn't you just call the police first? What was your rationale...what was your thought going into that? I mean, obviously, it probably wasn't rational because you were anxious but - Can you just explain a little bit about your process in that way?
Tyler - I was scared and she was the first person I thought to call. I needed her home as fast as I could because I was panicked and out of my mind.
Reporter - Just going off of that question - I'm sure you guys see a lot of stuff online as well, I mean the last person to see (doesn't say a name but I'm assuming it's Michael) is (can't see the interviewer so I'm guessing at this point he nods in the direction of Tyler), people speculate about that. What would you say, just to people, to help clear your name a little bit?
Tyler - I mean anybody that's looked into the timeline I feel like...there was no time for me to do anything. Not to mention I didn't leave the neighbourhood besides in a cop car for 2 or 3 weeks.
Brandy - Yep.
Tyler - There was thousands of people everywhere. There's nothing that I could have done and I don't know how some people don't see that but...
Reporter - Talk to me about your relationship with Michael? What was he like to you?
Brandy - IS sir, IS.
Tyler - He's my best little buddy, he's....we do, you know, comic books, monster trucks. He's the sweetest little boy in the world. He was always trying to help, he's perfect with his sister, they have an amazing relationship.
Brandy - Both his sisters.
Tyler - Both his sisters. He's just a wonderful, wonderful little boy and he doesn't deserve this.
Reporter - What do you tell Buggy after it's been this long? How do you explain to such a small child what's going on? and I know that's really hard to answer but - How do you tell her?
Brandy - We can't say when her older two...go their Dad's that they're 'bye-bye' right now, because that's the only thing that I could fig... for two months I didn't know what to tell her, and she'd just really started talking at that point and so we don't say 'bye-bye' because Monkey is just 'bye-bye' right now and he's coming home. He'll be home, he's just 'bye-bye' right now.
Reporter - Does she ask where he is?
Brandy - Yeah.
Tyler - She'll pick up his pictures and gives him kisses, set them up in front of the coffee table and watch tv with him.
Brandy - She pulls out his batman cape and...(Brandy can't finish the sentence and is visibly upset).
Tyler - She misses him.
Reporter - She seems like a very headstrong little girl.
Brandy - Oh yeah.
Tyler - I know where she gets that from.
Brandy - I don't know where she gets that from.
(they all laugh at this point)
Reporter - Looking back, as we approach the one year mark what do you, besides finding Michael and bringing him home - What would you like to see LE, what would you like to see the community, what would you like to see the world, continue to do?
Tyler - Keep his face out there. Don't let the story go away.
Brandy - Bring him home.
Tyler - Bring him home. Hope that somebody finally sees one of these, or somebody finally gets the courage to come forward and give that tip that leads us to him. Or maybe the person that has him, drop him off at a hospital or police station, or you know, whatever. Just let him come back home.
Reporter - You mention hope - What does hope look like right now?
Brandy - The strength with LE and our community members and our family. All of us standing strong, that none of us are gonna stop. Not a single one of us will stop. Michael is going to come home and we're going to do the best we can to help others as well.
Reporter - Does it feel like it's been a year?
Tyler - It was a very quick year and long year at the same time. It's like...time is a weird thing.
Brandy - It can't be a year, it can't be.
Reporter - How do you go through every day without him being found? It's been a year - What does your day to day look like?
Tyler - Every day is a struggle. It's kind of how we do it, day to day, I don't want to get out of bed every day I...but we do it, we do it and we try to keep our stuff together.
Brandy - We try.
Tyler - And just get through every day. Hoping every day gets us closer to being whole again.
Reporter - I'm not sure how familiar you were with LE, just how this whole system works before - Do you guys read, study, other missing children's cases and do you compare Michael's to other missing children's cases? Do you see timelines and is there anything you've learned or obtained this last year that's kept you going, or is there any cases that are similar to Michael's that you've seen success from?
Brandy - Yes, I have. You know it's very hard.
Tyler - I stay off of social media.
Brandy - There have been a lot of cases that have brought hope and I continue to share those and...(Bug comes to play again). There are...I want to help wherever I can, our whole family does.
Tyler - We've got the Monkey's Law out there and there's at least one more big one that other states have, that Idaho does not, that I would like to see implemented here that I think would have been a huge, huge tool at the beginning of this.
Reporter - When you say big one - Like an alert, is that what you're referring to?
Tyler - Not an alert. I don't really know how much I can go into it but there's...it has to do with warrants, like in some other states they wouldn't have had to do the warrants, they would have just gotten the information they needed right off the...
Brandy - Procedures for LE to be able to utilise the tools that they needed at their discretion instead of waiting, having to write up a warrant and wait for a judge...
Tyler - Wait for 6 months you know...A handful of information when there's 20, 30, 40 handfuls of information that they need but they can only get so much at a time, and they have to wait for the warrants to come through for all that, and so....
Reporter - So this process has been pretty long?
Tyler - Yes, and there's a lot that could be changed that would have made that part of it a lot shorter.
Reporter - I mentioned this back in December when we spoke - we were talking about who you turn to in times like this, what kind of support groups are out there...nobody knows what you guys are going through, besides you guys, you mentioned it doesn't get easier, some days you just want to stay in bed all day - Have you guys found more support just in this past six months, since we last spoke?
Tyler - Brandy's been pretty heavily in counselling since the beginning. I'm in a peer group through the John Walsh Foundation...
Brandy - (corrects Tyler) Help them to Hope Foundation.
Tyler - So I speak with another lady every week about...she's been through a very similar situation, so it's....that's helped me.
Brandy - We've also...with a few other foundations. They've been very helpful...
Tyler - The Caring Heart Foundation has been extremely helpful.
Brandy - I mean maybe not necessarily the same situation but...(Bug joins them).
Reporter - Piggy backing off the hope that you two have - Where does that come from? Is it information, is it faith or beliefs, or just a gut feeling? Where does hope come from within you?
Tyler - We just know we can't give up and so we have to have hope and as hard as that is sometimes to hold, we have each other and we have family and just...we maintain that hope that he's coming home.
Reporter - My last question - At the press conference today, Chief Huff said that there have been some people that have been uncooperative. When you heard that - Was that new information to you? Is that something you guys have heard before? What kind of feeling do you get?
(At this point I think somebody is watching them. Reporter suggests it's probably because of the cameras and asks...
"What's that been like for you? I guess you have to keep a close eye on that kind of stuff."
Brandy - Everything.
Reporter - Safety aside, but...
Tyler - We've only had one bad scenario, but we do have to deal with stuff like that on almost a daily...
Brandy - LE was right here in a minute, less than a minute.
Reporter - Was it someone just harassing you guys?
Brandy - Yes.
Tyler - It was a private press conference, when we did it inside of City Hall...
Brandy - In November.
Tyler - Somebody followed us home from that press conference and it turned into a....
Brandy - Not a great scenario.)
(Reporter repeats earlier question regarding people being uncooperative)
Brandy - Why would you not cooperate? Why?...like...it's been almost a year and you have watched us walk every inch of this town, every day. We work locally - Why?, you see us every day, you see our family, you see our children that are heartbroken. All of us are heartbroken...
Tyler - It's a missing child - Why wouldn't you?
Reporter - Are these people that LE has made you aware of? Or is it just...kind of kept it under wraps...like specific people?
Brandy - That's to (Tyler says yeah at this point, but I'm pretty sure he's affirming Brandy's response) their discretion.
Reporter - I guess there's part of you that's like 'I want to know every part of this case. I want to know every piece of information', but also LE not giving you every single piece of information - Does that give you a good sense that they're doing what they know is right?
Brandy - Yes.
Tyler - I personally, kind of left everything up to them. I'll report stuff that comes to me of course when it should have gone there in the first place, but I would say at the beginning of it we were both very like...we want to know everything and then...(Bug runs up crying and goes to dad for hug). There are certain things that happened that changed my mind really fast about wanting to know everything. You know there's some not very nice people in this world and we have learned that the hard way.
Brandy - Yeah.
Reporter - We appreciate your time. Is there anything you guys want to say before we wrap up?
Tyler - Just we appreciate the police department and all the agencies involved for keeping doing what they're doing. We appreciate Tristan, he's been very good about keeping the story out there and we want our baby home.
Brandy - Please, if somebody knows something, please use your strength, use your courage, please come forward. Michael deserves to be home with us and our family. His baby sister needs him, his big sister, his big brother. All of us, we all need him. He needs to come home and climb trees with his little sister (Bug is up a tree at this point!). Please if....please, we are begging as a family, as a whole, as a community, as the world. We are begging please have your strength and courage to give us something, to bring Michael home. And Monkey 'we love you and we miss you'.
Reporter - If we were to get into Michael's head a little bit - Would he have known, if he was taken, would he have known that he shouldn't be going with these people, is he aware and would he try to contact you? Do you think he's able to be able to get a hold of you guys?
Brandy - He knows where he lives, he knows what city, what state he lives in and he knows that...mommy's name, mommy real name. We were working on phone numbers and the address but he does know where he's supposed to be.
Reporter - Do you think that he would have screamed out, or yelled out, or...if it was someone he didn't know or that sort of thing?
Brandy - I believe he would have.
(Bug ends the interview by blowing on an ear piercing whistle that LE apparently gave her!)
Reporter - So we just got off the press conference. Can you tell me a little bit about how you're feeling? About how it went and what type of information that they released and how the investigation is going in your perspective?
Tyler - There's a lot of stuff that they're working on, that is new stuff, that made me very hopeful that I'm not going to go into, but we both know that they're working tirelessly, so I always feel good when coming out of there. They work very hard.
Reporter - When you say 'hopeful' - Can you kind of explain what that means to you with these new...I guess new leads, but you know, what they're looking into?
Tyler - We've both tried to stay hopeful throughout the whole thing, but the things they're working on make me hopeful that we'll have answers eventually and he'll come home.
Brandy - He's coming home and they're not gonna give up.
Reporter - So with the update that Huff gave when he said that they're looking in the area again - Do you know kind of...if they're looking at people that you guys know? Or is it really just general? Is there anything you can speak to on that?
Tyler - We don't really know anything other than that there's persons of interest.
Brandy - There's nothing that we can speak of on that matter and there are....they're looking into every lead and persons of interest, so we don't know those and what I can say is that they're doing everything they possibly can to find Michael.
Reporter - So Huff said 'well I mean the family hasn't been cleared but they've been cooperative' - Do you have any comment on that? Some people speculate that 'Oh because the family hasn't been cleared that they're guilty, or they're this' - What do you guys take away from that, because obviously it can be hard to clear somebody just because everything's still outstanding? I kind of wonder what you think about that?
Tyler - I think they're doing everything they can to find Michael, and like you said, it's extremely hard to be 100% on anybody so we're just taking it as it goes, and I'm sure eventually we'll get there.
Reporter - Have you guys been told otherwise? because I know there's been rumours circulating around...just online and even just around the community. Have you guys been told otherwise about being cleared?
Brandy - We are working with LE 100% and I will say that they are a very very big part of our lives continuously and we will continue to work with them 110%, so when everything is cleared or....
Tyler - When they're ready to take that step we'll be grateful, but we know it takes time.
Reporter - Just with information that's been released in the past year - it was pretty consecutive in the first early months, started to slow down a little bit just from police, and now it's been a while. This was the first press conference we've had since November, which I guess kind of contributes to speculation around the community. With the lack of information that's been released from police in the past six months, which has led to this speculation - Do you think LE should release more information just to combat those people that are coming up with these theories?
Tyler - Most of the theories, I think, are completely not grounded in reality for the most part, and I wouldn't want them to release anything that would jeopardise the case. I mean, the person that has Michael could be watching and I mean it's....it's...I wouldn't want them to put anything out that they shouldn't.
Brandy - I believe they've done an amazing job and they continue to do an amazing job and they're not....they know the facts, they know the truth, they have the truth and the things they're working on is very important because Michael is our son and they want him home just as much as we do. So for them to do what they're trying to do in their jobs is highly important and I respect that. Yes, it is frustrating at times but....
Reporter - Back in December you told me that you believe Michael was taken - Do you still feel that same way today? And has there been new developments or anything that's made you feel more strongly about that?
Brandy - Yes sir, wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly, and we're going to find him and whoever decided that they could take Michael, they need, or has information, they need to come forward. It's been almost a year. It has been 351 days.
Reporter - Do you feel strongly one way or the other - If it was a stranger or somebody that knew him at all? Do you feel any which way about that, or do you just not know?
(long pause)
Tyler - Don't know.
Brandy - Don't know. We don't know.
Tyler - We definitely feel that he was taken. I mean there's been...well Tristan's (one of the interviewers) been here from the beginning. There was thousands of people here, like...he's not here, so he must be somewhere else.
Reporter - Tyler can you walk us through just that night? You were home with the kids - Can you just walk us through everything that happened last July?
Tyler - Went back to change Bug, Michael was playing on his switch, she was sleeping so it took a minute for me to rouse her and then I changed her diaper and ordered pizza. Probably took me around 15 minutes maybe, and came back out and went outside to smoke and Monkey wasn't outside so I figured he was inside with his brother, wasn't inside and then I started to freak out and it's all kind of a blur from there. Just running all over the neighbourhood and...(Bug runs up at this point)
Reporter - What time was that?
Tyler - I ordered the pizza at 6.40. I really couldn't tell you any other timestamp, besides that, with a 100% certainty. I don't even know if that's when I entered the order or when I finished the order, or what. The receipt said 6.40.
Reporter - Were you in the house when you ordered or were you outside?
Tyler - No, I was in the back bedroom with Bug.
Reporter - And following...I mean, when you realised that you didn't know where Michael was - What did you do then? Did you knock on any neighbours doors, did you...?
Tyler - I came outside and I looked down the street, and I hopped in the car and called Brandy, and drove to the Splash Pad and then all over the neighbourhood, walking, running, driving, I couldn't tell you where. I didn't leave the neighbourhood but all up and down this, you know, 8th St. complex I was....we were both all over.
Reporter - Some of the people that like to speculate are wondering - Why did you call Brandy, why didn't you just call the police first? What was your rationale...what was your thought going into that? I mean, obviously, it probably wasn't rational because you were anxious but - Can you just explain a little bit about your process in that way?
Tyler - I was scared and she was the first person I thought to call. I needed her home as fast as I could because I was panicked and out of my mind.
Reporter - Just going off of that question - I'm sure you guys see a lot of stuff online as well, I mean the last person to see (doesn't say a name but I'm assuming it's Michael) is (can't see the interviewer so I'm guessing at this point he nods in the direction of Tyler), people speculate about that. What would you say, just to people, to help clear your name a little bit?
Tyler - I mean anybody that's looked into the timeline I feel like...there was no time for me to do anything. Not to mention I didn't leave the neighbourhood besides in a cop car for 2 or 3 weeks.
Brandy - Yep.
Tyler - There was thousands of people everywhere. There's nothing that I could have done and I don't know how some people don't see that but...
Reporter - Talk to me about your relationship with Michael? What was he like to you?
Brandy - IS sir, IS.
Tyler - He's my best little buddy, he's....we do, you know, comic books, monster trucks. He's the sweetest little boy in the world. He was always trying to help, he's perfect with his sister, they have an amazing relationship.
Brandy - Both his sisters.
Tyler - Both his sisters. He's just a wonderful, wonderful little boy and he doesn't deserve this.
Reporter - What do you tell Buggy after it's been this long? How do you explain to such a small child what's going on? and I know that's really hard to answer but - How do you tell her?
Brandy - We can't say when her older two...go their Dad's that they're 'bye-bye' right now, because that's the only thing that I could fig... for two months I didn't know what to tell her, and she'd just really started talking at that point and so we don't say 'bye-bye' because Monkey is just 'bye-bye' right now and he's coming home. He'll be home, he's just 'bye-bye' right now.
Reporter - Does she ask where he is?
Brandy - Yeah.
Tyler - She'll pick up his pictures and gives him kisses, set them up in front of the coffee table and watch tv with him.
Brandy - She pulls out his batman cape and...(Brandy can't finish the sentence and is visibly upset).
Tyler - She misses him.
Reporter - She seems like a very headstrong little girl.
Brandy - Oh yeah.
Tyler - I know where she gets that from.
Brandy - I don't know where she gets that from.
(they all laugh at this point)
Reporter - Looking back, as we approach the one year mark what do you, besides finding Michael and bringing him home - What would you like to see LE, what would you like to see the community, what would you like to see the world, continue to do?
Tyler - Keep his face out there. Don't let the story go away.
Brandy - Bring him home.
Tyler - Bring him home. Hope that somebody finally sees one of these, or somebody finally gets the courage to come forward and give that tip that leads us to him. Or maybe the person that has him, drop him off at a hospital or police station, or you know, whatever. Just let him come back home.
Reporter - You mention hope - What does hope look like right now?
Brandy - The strength with LE and our community members and our family. All of us standing strong, that none of us are gonna stop. Not a single one of us will stop. Michael is going to come home and we're going to do the best we can to help others as well.
Reporter - Does it feel like it's been a year?
Tyler - It was a very quick year and long year at the same time. It's like...time is a weird thing.
Brandy - It can't be a year, it can't be.
Reporter - How do you go through every day without him being found? It's been a year - What does your day to day look like?
Tyler - Every day is a struggle. It's kind of how we do it, day to day, I don't want to get out of bed every day I...but we do it, we do it and we try to keep our stuff together.
Brandy - We try.
Tyler - And just get through every day. Hoping every day gets us closer to being whole again.
Reporter - I'm not sure how familiar you were with LE, just how this whole system works before - Do you guys read, study, other missing children's cases and do you compare Michael's to other missing children's cases? Do you see timelines and is there anything you've learned or obtained this last year that's kept you going, or is there any cases that are similar to Michael's that you've seen success from?
Brandy - Yes, I have. You know it's very hard.
Tyler - I stay off of social media.
Brandy - There have been a lot of cases that have brought hope and I continue to share those and...(Bug comes to play again). There are...I want to help wherever I can, our whole family does.
Tyler - We've got the Monkey's Law out there and there's at least one more big one that other states have, that Idaho does not, that I would like to see implemented here that I think would have been a huge, huge tool at the beginning of this.
Reporter - When you say big one - Like an alert, is that what you're referring to?
Tyler - Not an alert. I don't really know how much I can go into it but there's...it has to do with warrants, like in some other states they wouldn't have had to do the warrants, they would have just gotten the information they needed right off the...
Brandy - Procedures for LE to be able to utilise the tools that they needed at their discretion instead of waiting, having to write up a warrant and wait for a judge...
Tyler - Wait for 6 months you know...A handful of information when there's 20, 30, 40 handfuls of information that they need but they can only get so much at a time, and they have to wait for the warrants to come through for all that, and so....
Reporter - So this process has been pretty long?
Tyler - Yes, and there's a lot that could be changed that would have made that part of it a lot shorter.
Reporter - I mentioned this back in December when we spoke - we were talking about who you turn to in times like this, what kind of support groups are out there...nobody knows what you guys are going through, besides you guys, you mentioned it doesn't get easier, some days you just want to stay in bed all day - Have you guys found more support just in this past six months, since we last spoke?
Tyler - Brandy's been pretty heavily in counselling since the beginning. I'm in a peer group through the John Walsh Foundation...
Brandy - (corrects Tyler) Help them to Hope Foundation.
Tyler - So I speak with another lady every week about...she's been through a very similar situation, so it's....that's helped me.
Brandy - We've also...with a few other foundations. They've been very helpful...
Tyler - The Caring Heart Foundation has been extremely helpful.
Brandy - I mean maybe not necessarily the same situation but...(Bug joins them).
Reporter - Piggy backing off the hope that you two have - Where does that come from? Is it information, is it faith or beliefs, or just a gut feeling? Where does hope come from within you?
Tyler - We just know we can't give up and so we have to have hope and as hard as that is sometimes to hold, we have each other and we have family and just...we maintain that hope that he's coming home.
Reporter - My last question - At the press conference today, Chief Huff said that there have been some people that have been uncooperative. When you heard that - Was that new information to you? Is that something you guys have heard before? What kind of feeling do you get?
(At this point I think somebody is watching them. Reporter suggests it's probably because of the cameras and asks...
"What's that been like for you? I guess you have to keep a close eye on that kind of stuff."
Brandy - Everything.
Reporter - Safety aside, but...
Tyler - We've only had one bad scenario, but we do have to deal with stuff like that on almost a daily...
Brandy - LE was right here in a minute, less than a minute.
Reporter - Was it someone just harassing you guys?
Brandy - Yes.
Tyler - It was a private press conference, when we did it inside of City Hall...
Brandy - In November.
Tyler - Somebody followed us home from that press conference and it turned into a....
Brandy - Not a great scenario.)
(Reporter repeats earlier question regarding people being uncooperative)
Brandy - Why would you not cooperate? Why?...like...it's been almost a year and you have watched us walk every inch of this town, every day. We work locally - Why?, you see us every day, you see our family, you see our children that are heartbroken. All of us are heartbroken...
Tyler - It's a missing child - Why wouldn't you?
Reporter - Are these people that LE has made you aware of? Or is it just...kind of kept it under wraps...like specific people?
Brandy - That's to (Tyler says yeah at this point, but I'm pretty sure he's affirming Brandy's response) their discretion.
Reporter - I guess there's part of you that's like 'I want to know every part of this case. I want to know every piece of information', but also LE not giving you every single piece of information - Does that give you a good sense that they're doing what they know is right?
Brandy - Yes.
Tyler - I personally, kind of left everything up to them. I'll report stuff that comes to me of course when it should have gone there in the first place, but I would say at the beginning of it we were both very like...we want to know everything and then...(Bug runs up crying and goes to dad for hug). There are certain things that happened that changed my mind really fast about wanting to know everything. You know there's some not very nice people in this world and we have learned that the hard way.
Brandy - Yeah.
Reporter - We appreciate your time. Is there anything you guys want to say before we wrap up?
Tyler - Just we appreciate the police department and all the agencies involved for keeping doing what they're doing. We appreciate Tristan, he's been very good about keeping the story out there and we want our baby home.
Brandy - Please, if somebody knows something, please use your strength, use your courage, please come forward. Michael deserves to be home with us and our family. His baby sister needs him, his big sister, his big brother. All of us, we all need him. He needs to come home and climb trees with his little sister (Bug is up a tree at this point!). Please if....please, we are begging as a family, as a whole, as a community, as the world. We are begging please have your strength and courage to give us something, to bring Michael home. And Monkey 'we love you and we miss you'.
Reporter - If we were to get into Michael's head a little bit - Would he have known, if he was taken, would he have known that he shouldn't be going with these people, is he aware and would he try to contact you? Do you think he's able to be able to get a hold of you guys?
Brandy - He knows where he lives, he knows what city, what state he lives in and he knows that...mommy's name, mommy real name. We were working on phone numbers and the address but he does know where he's supposed to be.
Reporter - Do you think that he would have screamed out, or yelled out, or...if it was someone he didn't know or that sort of thing?
Brandy - I believe he would have.
(Bug ends the interview by blowing on an ear piercing whistle that LE apparently gave her!)
carbuff
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@Allabouttrial , thank you again for a great transcription.
SuziQ
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IMO, You would think if LE believes the owner of the white Honda is a resident, they would be able to verify that.
So was the father the only one in the home with the kids? Early on I thought there was a Grandfather there?
So was the father the only one in the home with the kids? Early on I thought there was a Grandfather there?
ScorpioRising
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Link to the NewsNation release for today: Missing Michael Vaughan: Idaho child’s father speaks out
katydid23
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In the first reports I read, Grandpa was away from home doing errands that afternoon. But there was one conflicting report saying he was home, so I am still not clear on that.
katydid23
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I would love to believe that Monkey was coming home safe and sound but it is hard for me to see that scenario, realistically.
If there was a custody battle then it could be a possibility. Or possibly trafficking ---but that very rarely happens that a little boy is abducted for trafficking purposes. Almost never, have I seen one of these cases end up in that way.
Usually it is either foul play within the home OR abduction by a predator---sometimes a friend or neighbour, or by a random stranger in an opportunity abduction.
IF it is true that this little guy was walking to neighbours homes and looking for someone to play with him, then it could have been a perfect bad storm of circumstances. He may have knocked on wrong door at the wrong time, and someone's crazy uncle answered the door. If that family is not cooperating, then what?
If there was a custody battle then it could be a possibility. Or possibly trafficking ---but that very rarely happens that a little boy is abducted for trafficking purposes. Almost never, have I seen one of these cases end up in that way.
Usually it is either foul play within the home OR abduction by a predator---sometimes a friend or neighbour, or by a random stranger in an opportunity abduction.
IF it is true that this little guy was walking to neighbours homes and looking for someone to play with him, then it could have been a perfect bad storm of circumstances. He may have knocked on wrong door at the wrong time, and someone's crazy uncle answered the door. If that family is not cooperating, then what?
Unalienable Rights
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If I remember correctly, grandpa (who is retired) was having dinner and drinks with some of his buddies from his former job. He was at a restaurant / bar not far from home, so when he received the call that Michael was missing he was able to get home quickly. I believe that this was mentioned in one of the authorized interviews posted to the thread, but I can't find the link so it is IMO.
steeltowngirl
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"He’s coming home and we’re waiting on him—we're all waiting for him," Brandi said. "Every single one of us are waiting for him and we’re going to bring him home."
"He’s beyond missed and beyond loved and we need him," Tyler Vaughan, Michael’s father, said.
"We need him."
A Year Without Michael...
www.missingkids.org
steeltowngirl
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I am very curious about the origin of the photo of the unidentified man. If it came from a resident‘s Ring-type cam, then the security camera resident is cooperating with LE. But could the resident also have noticed a neighboring house that the man entered or exited - and THAT resident will not share details of the man’s identity?
jmo/speculation
jmo/speculation
steeltowngirl
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I don’t recall seeing this post about Monkey in the Missing Persons Advocacy Network before, apologies if it’s a repost.
Links within the post can be found to videos of Monkey, including his voice.
Where are you, little man?
Links within the post can be found to videos of Monkey, including his voice.
Where are you, little man?
155etta
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View attachment 356463
"He’s coming home and we’re waiting on him—we're all waiting for him," Brandi said. "Every single one of us are waiting for him and we’re going to bring him home."
"He’s beyond missed and beyond loved and we need him," Tyler Vaughan, Michael’s father, said.
"We need him."
A Year Without Michael...
I just can't figure out why Tyler woke up the baby to change her diaper. That makes no sense to me. Why wouldn't you just wait for her to wake up? I've never woken a baby to change their diaper. Ever. It's just bothering me. MOO.
ReadySet
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I thought about that and wondered too. I can see if it was a blow out, and it was getting all over everything. Aslo, she may have had diaper rash and they were being careful about changing dirty diapers immediately. Wasn't this early evening? So she was either down for the night or hadn't awakened from a late nap? So maybe they didn't want her to sleep through the night with a dirty diaper, or it was time for her to wake up anyway.
katydid23
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Tyler -" Went back to change Bug, Michael was playing on his switch, she was sleeping so it took a minute for me to rouse her and then I changed her diaper and ordered pizza. Probably took me around 15 minutes maybe, and came back out and went outside to smoke and Monkey wasn't outside so I figured he was inside with his brother, wasn't inside and then I started to freak out and it's all kind of a blur from there. Just running all over the neighbourhood and."..(Bug runs up at this point)
Another odd thing is the logistics of where Monkey was at the time.
"Went back to change Bug, Michael was playing on his switch, she was sleeping..."
" and came back out and went outside to smoke and Monkey wasn't outside so I figured he was inside with his brother, wasn't inside..."
The timeline/logistics don't make sense to me. First time Monkey is mentioned he seems to refer to him as being back in the bedroom area playing on his switch. Then he goes outside to smoke and 'Monkey wasn't outside.'
Was he surprised he wasn't outside? Was it normal for the 5 yr old to be outside by himself without anyone knowing about it? Was it the front or backyard he was talking about?
WHY would he think Monkey was outside when last he saw him he was playing w/video game in the house? But he then assumes he was inside with his brother.
It has always niggled at me that Monkey's older brother was there at home, while the 5 yr old decided to sneak away to find someone to play with him that afternoon. It makes me sad actually that his Dad and baby sister and big brother were all home, waiting for pizza, and for some reason Monkey decided to run off.
It seems a bit odd to me. Did Monkey know the pizza was coming? My little grandkids cannot wait for the pizza to arrive when we order it. It seemed weird that he wouldn't wait for the pizza and try to play with his big brother or Dad instead of going house to house for a playmate.
kccorona
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My first gut reaction to this quote is that A) he didn't want her to sleep too long because then she may not go to sleep at a normal time at bedtime, so he is waking her up before ordering supper, kind of to get the evening routine going, and B) in starting the sentence by saying he went back to change her that he misspoke or mentioned that first (instead of stating "went back to wake her up") because he was thinking about his actions, and how she was sleeping hard, he had to rouse her, then change her diaper, etc. Not sure that makes sense now typing it out, but just wanted to share my first thoughts reading the quote because I don't necessarily find the fact that he "woke her up to change her diaper" abnormal- on its own at least.
Observe_dont_Absorb
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Unless he had an agreed time to do so with Brandi - she may have instructed him change the baby at 6ish? Otherwise, this is a huge plot hole - nobody in their right mind would wake a soundly sleeping baby to change them. Least of all a man.
Observe_dont_Absorb
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What is a ’switch’ please?
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